Urinary Stones Incidence On The Rise
The incidence of kidney stones is on the rise, according to a study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers.
Though it is more prevalent among women, kidney stones are also becoming more common in men. In fact, the researchers discovered that symptomatic stone formers tended to be female versus male, with the highest increase in women between 18 to 39. Bladder stones were less frequent and more noticeable in men due to prostatic obstructions, while women had a higher frequency of infection stones as a result of recurrent urinary tract infections.
Why is this so? The researchers found that advances in imaging technology contributed to discovery of this new key finding.
This discovery was confirmed by Andrew Rule, M.D., lead investigator in this study.
Dr. Rule said, “[Discovery of] Symptomatic kidney stones are becoming more common in both men and women. This is due in part to the increased use of CT scans to diagnose kidney stones.”
Dr. Rule noted that advances in imaging technology have allowed researchers to better examine and classify stone formation in patients than in days past. “We are now diagnosing symptomatic kidney stones that previously would have gone undiagnosed because they would not have been detected.”
Their findings appear in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
The Study and Key Finding
Mayo Clinic researchers probed the rise in stone formers to determine if this is a new trend, or simply an improvement in the way kidney stones are detected.
The study focused on gender, age and stone formation. Then, the researchers examined first-time presenters of kidney stones from residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, between 1984 and 2012.
The results showed that growing evidence suggests that the incidence of kidney stones is increasing steadily, especially in women.
However, the researchers suggested that more study should be conducted especially the data came from a largely Caucasian area, and white people have a greater tendency toward kidney stones, compared to other racial groups. In addition, further assessment is needed to determine if this is a community increase or simply improvements in diagnostic capabilities.
Kidney stones are solid masses of crystalized calcium or other substances that originate in the kidneys but can pass through the urinary tract. Some can become as big as golf balls.
